New look, same values
It is with great pleasure that I announce the launch of our new website.
While it’s certainly a radical change in style, anyone who knows Thunderhead will recognize our core values on every page.
Designed with our customers and potential customers in mind, our new site parallels the approach our innovative software Thunderhead NOW takes. Both are designed to be flexible and future-proof, and to adapt to new demands and new ways of working.
We hope you have an improved experience when you visit the site. Whether you conduct your search by industry, or by a particular interest or topic, you’ll find a wealth of information specifically targeted to your needs. If those needs change, you’ll find a whole new set of resources at your disposal.
Straightforward facts. Claims substantiated by evidence. Compelling content. An on-line demonstration of Thunderhead NOW. And a growing body of user stories and case studies drawn from major brands around the world.
However, describing a website is a bit like doing card tricks on the radio – it’s far easier and more rewarding for you to try it for yourself.
And when you’ve paid us what is hopefully the first of many visits, we’d love to know what you think.
I came across this article over my morning coffee and thought it made a great point.
We all know it’s still cheaper to retain a customer than acquire a new one. This particular article notes a cost difference of 50% to 60%, and I have seen other statistics quoted on this as well. But controversially, it goes on to say that the retention programmes in place today are a waste of time.
Now, you could interpret that to mean, don’t bother, it’s not actually going to help your company’s cause.
But what the author is really trying to say is this; we need to rethink our retention strategies and goals. More precisely, we need to align customer programs with meaningful engagement, not just supposed personalized marketing messages.
How many times have you received a message where you are presently a customer and they are offering you a better deal or something you probably cannot take advantage of? What a turn-off, right?
You probably get a few of those a year, and all those little mis-steps add up. The big point here is you want to have an anti defection strategy that doesn’t waste money by misplacing messages, offers and experiences that are not relevant to your customers.
I hate to sound like James Carville, Bill Clinton’s political strategist but, it’s the customer experience, stupid!
Aloha, customer satisfaction
Airlines don’t always get the best press – remember ‘United broke my guitar‘?
So it’s good to read about one carrier that seems to be getting it right.
In this interesting piece from Business Week, Hawaiian Airlines executive Charles Nardello details how:
“Superior operational excellence cannot be achieved or maintained with an iron fist. It needs to be organically grown and fostered throughout the company.”
Plenty for all of us to consider, if we’re serious about improving the customer experience.
Whatever you do, don’t assume anything
In the past few weeks, we’ve had a number of discussions with the media surrounding the do’s and don’ts of personalization, and what companies should be thinking about when they communicate with their customers.
We’ve found ourselves coming back to a few key tenets – they may work for you, too.
DO ask how, when and in which channel your customers would like to be communicated with
DON’T make assumptions based on demographics (or the buckets that you’ve put customers into)
DO – definitely – take all the nascent information collected to further inform your position on how customers want to be communicated with
DO apply the same rules for communicating within your own organization
DON’T just dash off an email – it’s probably easier and quicker to resolve the issue by picking up the phone or walking down the hall and talking to your colleague
So, whether it’s colleagues or customers, don’t assume and do take the time to talk with one another.
It all goes back to opening a dialogue, then learning as you go.
Earlier this week, Thunderhead’s North American customers gathered at Innovate New York to explore trends and challenges in customer communications and receive a preview of Thunderhead updates and upcoming new functionality.
Throughout the two days, clients shared how Thunderhead has impacted their business and changed the way they engage with their customers. The Thunderhead Professional Services team also provided hands-on training sessions to highlight how the Thunderhead NOW platform is developing, and how users can tap these enhancements and new tools to maximize their Thunderhead deployments.
Our keynote speaker, Josh Bernoff, Senior VP at Forrester Research, gave a fascinating presentation on empowering staff to best engage with customers, win their loyalty and transform the business. 
Josh’s presentation was based on his new book, Empowered: Unleash Your Employees, Energize Your Customers, and Transform Your Business, and he reinforced what we at Thunderhead have long believed: companies today are essentially equal across distribution networks, technologies and a host of other factors, so today’s best source of competitive advantage can be found in delivering top quality customer experience. Many thanks to Josh for sharing his insights.
And most importantly, a big thank you to all our customers who attended the conference.
As our CEO Glen Manchester noted, we are committed to collaborating and continuously investing in our customer relationships to ensure you have the tools you need to deliver the ultimate customer experience to your customers.
Thunderhead Innovate 2011 – A look back at London before we do it again in New York
Glen Manchester, Thunderhead CEO, during the opening address at Innovate London
A big thank you to our customers and partners who took part in Innovate London. We hope you got as much out of it as we did, and we’re already looking forward to doing it all again in New York later this month.
Simon Tindal, global director of solutions architects demonstrates Thunderhead NOW to Innovate London attendees
The London agenda included accounts from two of our customers who discussed their own experiences of integrating and using Thunderhead NOW to manage their customer communications, as well as presentations from our executive and professional services team who painted a picture of where Thunderhead is heading. However, the day was also about helping our customers learn what else the current product can do for them, so our product development team shared demos of the latest enhancements to the software platform to help attendees understand how NOW is evolving, and how to evolve their use of it.
British Olympic Gold Medallist Ben Hunt-Davis discussing his presentation with Jamie MacGregor, Senior Analyst Insurance, Celent
We would also like to offer our sincere thanks to British Gold Medallist Ben Hunt-Daviswho gave an inspirational (and very amusing in places) keynote address offering a candid insight into why being brave enough to do things differently will “make the boat go faster” and ultimately pay dividends.
As I’ve said before, Thunderhead understands the pressure large enterprises are under. We recognise that weakened customer relationships, increased customer promiscuity and resistance to revenue pull, demand for immediate customer service, compliance pressures and having to keep up with mobile and social platforms are combining to create a complex environment for managing the process of customer communications, let alone driving any value out of them. We recognise that legacy document output systems are not able to meet the expectations of today’s consumers and have made the business of modernising customer communications systems, our business.
Attendees take their seats at one of our roundtable discussions
That’s why I’d like to reiterate a point I made recently and say: Working together, we can develop a roadmap that will guide our customers to nurture more profitable, longer lasting customer relationships.
Can’t wait to share that with the group in New York!
Steve Jobs, the man who put customers first
The genius who brought the world ‘the computer for the rest of us’ is dead at the shockingly early age of 56.
Plenty of others have already contributed articles, web pages, flowers, prayer vigils and more to mark his passing.
I want to add my two cent’s worth; but this time in recognition of how humble he was, in acknowledging his mistakes.
Now, humble’s not a word normally associated with this unparalleled tech industry visionary and leader. But take a look at this quote from 1997, shortly after he resumed control at Apple:
“You’ve got to start with the customer experience and work back to the technology — not the other way around. I’ve probably made this mistake more than anybody, and I’ve got the scar tissue to prove it.”
That’s a man who knows where he’s been, and where he’s going. And it would do all of us a lot of good to remember that, no matter how proud we may be of our brilliant products or mould-breaking services, it’s the customer experience that will dictate our success or failure.
Thanks for touching our lives, Steve. And thanks for reminding us of what’s really important.
Thunderhead Innovate 2011 – I can’t believe it’s a year since the last one
There’s been a lot of water under the bridge – or communications out of the door, if you prefer – since I last wrote about Innovate.
But we’re no strangers to change. Modernising customer communications systems is what we’re about at Thunderhead, and we’re committed to ensuring that our customers get the most out of their investment in our innovative Thunderhead NOW software platform.
Part of that commitment is giving them unfettered access to members of our product development, sales, senior executive teams and our partners, as well as the chance share experiences with fellow Thunderhead customers.
Hence Innovate, our premier customer event – in London on Tuesday and in New York in October.
Innovate draws participants from customers and analysts around the world. At the swanky 5-star Andaz hotel (and later, at the equally plush Gansevoort Park Avenue) we’ll be discussing with our customers how they can best:
- Leverage their existing Thunderhead NOW investment so that they get the best out of it
- Understand how the platform is evolving and how to evolve their use of it
- Engage with other customers and learn from each other
- Engage with our technology and sales teams to understand what else the product can do for them
At Thunderhead, we know that every document is a microcosm of a customer relationship, so we’re keen to share our ideas on how our customers can manage the changing communications landscape.
It’s our aim to give them the tools they need to build better document output systems and improve business efficiencies.
Working together, we can develop a roadmap that will guide them to nurture more profitable, longer lasting customer relationships.
Forrester Research ranks Thunderhead highest in multi-channel support: Good news for us, good for our customers
It’s been two years since we trembled with anticipation at the arrival of the last Forrester WaveTM report.
This time, as previously, it was worth waiting for.
The Forrester WaveTM Document Output for Customer Communications, Q3 2011 (published September 2011) recognized Thunderhead as the highest-scoring vendor in the multi-channel support category. On top of that, we received the highest possible score – a 5 out of 5 – in both Business Empowerment and Product Strategy.
Forrester evaluated 12 vendors on the strength of their strategy, current offerings and market presence across various segments, including business empowerment, multi-channel support, and breadth of use case and application support.
In the multi-channel segment Thunderhead received a 5 out of 5 in mobility, multi-channel management and multi-channel capability and was “cited by references as a strong feature for Thunderhead and a reason for selection.”
Multi-channel capabilities were evaluated on how well a product supports distribution of the same content via a variety of channels, including print, email, text message and other media.
Naturally, we’re delighted with the result.
It recognizes Thunderhead’s capabilities as a leader. But, just as important, it acknowledges the need for businesses to embrace multi-channel technologies.
Being able to communicate with customers in the channel of their choice – and to do so easily and cost-effectively, with a single, integrated solution – is way beyond good.
It’s an essential building block to improve the overall customer experience, and a powerful driver to greater customer profitability and advocacy.
So thank you, Forrester. And thank you to all the Thunderhead customers who made it possible.
Don’t want to say “I told you so”, but…
After the uplifting customer service experience I blogged about yesterday, I was brought back to earth with a bump by MyCustomer.
The site does a good job in flagging the key issues around customer experience, and a post this morning about the scary amount of churn by UK consumers had me nodding my head.
Our own Disconnected Customer research among consumers of financial and utility services had indicated just such a possibility.
But fast on the heels of the the obvious question – how come some brands get it so right, and others make such expensive mistakes? – comes its younger and more constructive sister:
What can brands do about it?
It’s a theme I’ll be revisiting regularly in the coming weeks, and I’d really welcome your suggestions.
Innovation from Thunderhead 